Singapore Expo Hall 4B hosted one of Singapore’s signature sporting events

from 8th to 10th September 2006 – Climb On! Singapore 2006. Held in conjunction with Singapore’s largest trade show for sports, fitness and spas Fitness Asia 2006, the event venue was positively buzzing with a youthful energy that simply

could not be ignored. What a fantastic experience this turned out to be!

Both participants and on-lookers were treated to

various forms of rock climbing fun – there was

something for everyone, much like a modern

playground.

This rock climbing carnival was jointly organized

by the People’s Association (PA) Adventure Team

and Climb Asia Climbing Centre, and is Singapore’s

premier rock-climbing event.

Since its debut in

2002, this unique event has made its

appearance in

various parts of Singapore, including Siloso Beach,

Sentosa, with the main purpose of making sport

climbing easily accessible to everyone. Through its

popular carnival format, i

nterested participants of

all ages and abiliti

es were allowed to explore rock-

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climbing at their own pace. Climb On! Singapore has built up a solid

reputation within the local sporting scene since then, returning each year in a

larger scale and with fresher ideas. That’s precisely what they did this year – 3

days of unadulterated sport climb fun, peppered with goodies like free public

tryouts on the first day and second day, a Speed Solo challenge and a World

Record “Dyno” competition.A special component of Climb On! Singapore had always been its

outreach program – providing opportunities for under-privileged and special

students to experience and learn through rock-climbing. This year, the special

students from Towner Gardens School (MINDS) were first taught basic rock-

climbing skills at Climb Asia Climbing Centre to help boost their confidence and facilitate their

physical development. On 9th September (day 2) as a conclusion to their

preparatory activities, these students were brought to the competition

ground for a mini internal competition. They enjoyed it tremendously

and proved that no challenge was too great for their determination.

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In line with the outreach program, public tryouts were also made available throughout the first two days of the event. Interested members of the public were given free access to some climbing challenges, guided by the experienced event staff. The tryouts saw a fair mix of participants from young children to adults. It was an all-smiles event for these individuals, because they discovered much to their joy that rock-climbing was not as difficult as it seemed, and was indeed a sport for all.

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For the more serious sportspeople, the main events

of Climb On! Singapore were worth the wait. Starting on the evening of 9th September was the daring Speed “Solo” segment. Got a need for speed? This competition would certainly fulfill anyone’s appetite for adrenaline – participants need to perform a speed climb up a 10 meter wall, without ropes or harnesses! At the top of their climb, the participants simply had to hop off the wall into a large foam pit. This exhilarating event was coordinated and controlled under the watchful eye of Chief Judge – Mr. Mohammad Halil.

This exciting twist to traditional speed climbing drew both male and female competitors, including some of the nation’s best speed climbers. Competitors were rotated through a knock-out system until a champion emerged. When the finalists were announced, the event atmosphere was tense: amongst them were strong competitors from Malaysia as well as our national speed climbing star – Zaki, all clocking an average of only 7 seconds in their earlier qualifying attempts. In an adrenaline-charged finish, Zaki emerged champion with a solid performance of just over 6 seconds! For the

ladies, Ms Low Shuang-E was crowned champion.

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The following

day, the long-awaited

rock-climbing carnival was launched.

From as early as 8 a.m., more than 700 registered participants

gathered at the Expo hall eagerly anticipating

an entire day of climbing action. The organizers

certainly did not disappoint – the carnival featured

60 climbing challenges of various difficulties

spread over 20 rock-climbing surfaces.

The event venue was a sight to behold, with 4 climbing

structures and a huge central tower walling off the event

ground like an ancient castle of sorts. There was non-stop

climbing action for almost 10 straight hours. In fact, most

of the participants were enjoying themselves so much they hardly

took time off for a lunch or dinner break!

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They say that good things come to those who wait; on the evening of 10th September, the event was true to its reputation for challenging standards.

This year’s edition of Climb On! sought to make a World Record attempt for a dynamic jump, also known affectionately as a “dyno competition”.

A total of 18 men and 3 women took their turns at the challenge, jumping towards progressively higher targets in an attempt to establish Singapore’s highest “dyno” record. Each participant was only given a maximum of three attempts to achieve the target for the round, or face elimination. After each round, the target was raised by an additional 0.25 cm.

This segment was an explosive roundup for the carnival, because the competition attracted some of the biggest names in the local climbing scene, including “Dyno King” Muhammad Taufik and “Rocket-boy” Muhammad Hatta.

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For an hour, the knock-out qualifying rounds shaved the participant group until only two climbers remained – “Dyno King” Muhammad Taufik and Thai climber Kittipong.

By then, all eyes within the Expo hall were on the competition wall. Nobody was going to risk missing out on the historic moment, when Singapore’s official “dyno” World Record was to be made.

Again and again Taufik and Kit jumped, chasing and matching one another’s attempt, up till the height of 2.45 m. The crowd was going crazy from the fantastic display of climbing strength and tenacity by both climbers. On his third attempt, however, Taufik failed narrowly to make his third attempt at the target record. Backed by the supportive crowd, Kit narrowly sealed the deal for Event’s “dyno” record at 2.475 m.

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Climb On! Singapore 2006 drew to a deserving close on the 10th September. The organizers and participants all had something to smile about. Fun, new records and new friends; what more could anyone ask for over a weekend?

Thanks to all supporters, sponsors, participants, volunteers and everyone who turned up @ the Expo to make the event a rocking-success. See y’all next year!

~ Climb On! Singapore Committee

Event Statistics

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Total Participants: 727Gender Ratio:

Male 68.7%, Female 31.3%

Ethnic Ratio:

Chinese 45%

Malay 35%Indian 15%Others 5%

Youngest Participant:

Ploy, THAILAND (9 yrs old)

Oldest Participant:

Liew Kam Fong, SG (40 yrs old)

Participaticing Nationalities: Singaporean, Malaysian, Thai, Filipino, Burmese, Japanese, Mongolian, Romanian, Kyrgez, French, German, American and Canadian